


broken by the liars, god, they've screwed us all

by Amber_Flicker



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Emotional Manipulation, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Past Hartley/wellsobard, Pre-Slash, Self-Hatred, Trust Issues, Unhealthy Relationships, at least compared to my usual, it's really light angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-17
Updated: 2016-06-17
Packaged: 2018-07-15 17:26:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7231864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amber_Flicker/pseuds/Amber_Flicker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hartley and Cisco have a much needed conversation. </p>
<p>New-timeline, sometime after s1 finale.</p>
            </blockquote>





	broken by the liars, god, they've screwed us all

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt from tumblr: Could you write something about Hartley telling Cisco about all the horrible things that he suffered at Wells' hands? Not abuse, but more like fear induced manipulation and threats? Idk, I just want an emotionally shattered Hartley being comforted by Cisco.
> 
> Title from Wireless by vyletpony (which is a really fitting song for Hart)

"He killed Barry's mom- hell, he killed _me._ But you don't see us walking around acting like jerks because of it. What did he do to you? Fire you?"

Hartley faltered, eyes widening slightly, and Cisco felt a stab of malicious satisfaction at making him stumble from his perfect composure. He waited for him to pull himself together, throw back some sort of snarky comment or scathing insult, but it never came. 

"I think it's time I left." Unfortunately, Hartley had to walk past him to do so, and Cisco grabbed his arm as he tried to leave. He wanted answers. Hartley wasn't just going to avoid the subject again, like he'd been doing for months. The other man didn't pull away, then, in a quiet voice, "Let go of me." 

"No, not un-" He paused, only now feeling how Hartley was trembling. "Hartley?"

"My personal matters are none of your business. Let go." His voice cracked at the end, and Cisco couldn't just let him leave after this, not without feeling guilty.

His grip loosened. "Did he do something we don't know about? Did he hurt you?"

"H-he never physically injured me, no."

"But there's a lot of other ways to hurt someone, you know that."

"Why do you care?" Hartley said abruptly, ripping his arm back to himself. As if Cisco had some ulterior motive. 

"I just want to help you, Hartley."

" _No one_ just wants to help anyone."

Cisco was starting to get a feeling for what not-wells had done to Hartley. And if he was right, it wasn't at all good. "He manipulated you, didn't he? That's why you have so many problems. He got you into a bad mindset so you'd do what he wanted."

"I-" He seemed like he wanted to deny it, but it was already too late for that. He looked away. "It's not like he had to do much. I was already fucked up. I would've done anything to make him keep me around- up until the day he fired me, I did do anything." He laughed, a bitter sound. "Maybe it wasn't a healthy relationship, looking back on it, but at least he wanted me. No one else does."

"Is that really what you think?"

"Yes." Hartley said, no hesitation.

Cisco hadn't ever been that sympathetic to Hartley, even after he started to help them sometimes, for many reasons. He didn't really make it easy to be sorry for him, with the constant sarcasm and insults to everyone around him. As far as they'd known, the worst thing that ever happened to him was his parents disowning him, and that just didn't seem to affect him much. He put up such a good show that everyone fell for it. Cisco thought he was _fine._

But Hartley was deeply hurt and no one even knew. There wasn't anyone to tell him he wasn't worthless or to undo the view of himself that had been rooted in his mind. He didn't have friends. And he felt awful for not realizing it sooner.

"Look, I know you don't get along very well with anyone here, but we don't hate you. Trust me, you wouldn't be allowed to lurk around if we did. You should have _said_ something."

"No one would have cared. People don't want to hear my issues."

"I care."

Hartley stared at him with something resembling awe, as if he didn't know how to react to someone worrying over his wellbeing. Maybe no one ever had (at least, for real reasons, not manipulative ones). "But why?"

"Because i'm a decent person, unlike most of the people you seem to let in." Hartley flinched at that. "And you don't have to let me in, but... if you want to talk, I'm here. You're not alone anymore, Hartley. You have people here."

"...Thank you." Cisco could count on one hand the amount of times he'd heard Hartley say those words, and even less the times it was sincere. He knew he'd gotten his point across. 

He left a little lighter than he'd come.

**Author's Note:**

> I got this prompt a while back, just before Hartmon week came up. I couldn't think of a good way to set it up, but eventually it came to me. Not quite satisfied with the ending, but I never really am anyway.
> 
> Come visit me at http://cliches-and-coffee.tumblr.com/


End file.
